Abraham was tested harder than almost anyone to follow after him. God told him to offer the son he had waited years for as a sacrifice. While he must have been terrified he still trusted the Lord and believed God would provide another way.
Genesis 22:1–2 (ESV)
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Genesis 22:7–8 (ESV)
7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
Abraham was correct and God did provide. At the last moment as he held the knife above his own son he looked up. His eyes landed on a ram caught in a thicket. God spoke to him once again and told him to offer this ram instead of Isaac.
Genesis 22:13 (ESV)
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
While God did provide for Abraham it still required work on his part. The ram did not show up ready to be offered. No, the ram was frightened caught in a thicket and no doubt fighting for its life. It is worth noting this was not just some small sheep either. Rams are built to fight and can way up 350 pounds. Needless to say, this was no easy task but required a lot of effort on Abraham’s part.
The Bible tells us that God will still provide for His people today. That He will listen to our prayers and meet our needs. Pouring out blessings on all those who place their trust in Him just like he did for Abraham.
1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 6:31–32 (ESV)
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
That does not mean that God’s provision will come fully formed and ready for us to use. At times we will have experiences similar to Abraham and some assembly will be required. It’s clear the Lord will provide we just don’t know what will be required on our part.
The prayer for a financial blessing may not be answered by an unexpected check in the mail. But instead may come in the form of overtime offered at work or the odd job that pays. Not everyone will receive miraculous healing. However, God may send a doctor offering a new clinical trial that is the answer they need.
We as Christians cannot just sit back and wait for God to provide the perfect blessing. Because that could mean missing out on the blessing entirely. Instead, we must realize that sometimes what we receive from God may require work on our part. So keep your eyes open and respond as Abraham did. Taking what God provided and using it as He intended. Even if that means ending up with a few bumps and bruises and sweating some along the way.
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